


The Jealous Type

by piperset



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Angst and Humor, CJ's Inner Monologue, F/M, Jealousy, Leo McGarry (Mentioned) - Freeform, Mandy Hampton (Unfortunately), Office Romance, Season 1 Episode 12: "He Shall From Time To Time"
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-13 06:20:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29522163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/piperset/pseuds/piperset
Summary: CJ Cregg didn’t consider herself the jealous type – at least, not until she met Danny Concannon.
Relationships: Danny Concannon/C. J. Cregg
Comments: 7
Kudos: 13





	The Jealous Type

**Author's Note:**

  * For [elflordsmistress](https://archiveofourown.org/users/elflordsmistress/gifts).



> Elflordsmistress requested I write a fic where CJ grapples with jealousy, so here's the result. I've been in the post-series CJ/Danny mindset for awhile, and I definitely switched things up with this one. I'm a huge sucker for their dynamic in the first season, and I wanted to explore CJ's thought process leading up to the kiss in "He Shall, From Time to Time," especially after the weird interaction between Danny and Mandy that she walks in on. I hope you enjoy!

CJ Cregg didn’t consider herself the jealous type – at least, not until she met Danny Concannon. Mostly this was because, for most of her life, there’d simply been no need. Growing up in Dayton, she’d spent most of her high school years being desired from afar. She’d never had a shortage of Homecoming dates, and she knew every boy in her English class had a crush on her (plus, the occasional love letter left anonymously in her locker didn’t do much to hurt her self-confidence). By college, CJ had put the two and two together, reaching the comfortable conclusion that she could easily snag any man she wanted. As a result, CJ didn’t have to waste time being jealous – which she took as a relief, especially as her career began to ascend into the upper echelons of the Washington elite. 

Nevertheless, a small part of CJ wondered if the true reason she’d never been bowled over by jealousy was because she’d never _wanted_ anyone enough to merit it. Sure, she hadn’t _liked_ it when girls in bars would make eyes at her dates, or when she’d catch an ex with someone else, but things had never really gotten far enough, romantics-wise, for her to be truly envious of a partner. CJ prided herself in her ability to keep things like this under control, and as Jed Bartlet entered his second year in office, that ability became more important than ever. Her service of the President required an iron will, strong enough to resist the ebbs and flows of office romances. For CJ, these types of relationships were not only unprofessional – they were threatening – and that was why the antics of a certain strawberry-blonde reporter were driving her up the wall.

The jokes had been fine, the flirting had been manageable, and the fish had been more than a little endearing. CJ knew the game she and Danny Concannon were playing, and she could deal with it as long as she kept defining the rules. Indeed, she had to admit there were days when she enjoyed the knowing smiles and piercing stares, followed by a dismissive roll of the eyes or a shrug. The slight moments of tension, tempered almost always by a reinstatement of professionalism, kept CJ on her toes, and often left her more than a little breathless. But since the holidays, things had begun to get out of hand. 

It was really all Danny’s fault. He was losing at his own game, wearing his heart out on his sleeve, but somehow, it was _working_. His interactions with CJ had shifted territory from unremarkably playful to straight-up enamoured; instead of teasing her about Vermeil, he was gifting her fish food and telling her he had a crush on her. It was so sickeningly adorable, CJ could barely process. She’d catch her mind wandering during senior staff meetings, choosing to focus instead on the woodsy notes of Danny’s cologne that would occasionally linger in her office after he left. She rarely made it through a press briefing without blushing, and her exclusives with Danny were nearing the edge of unbearable. And late at night, when she’d touch herself to let off steam, she found her fantasies more often than not featured a pair of scorching blue eyes… 

She knew it was an issue, she knew it wouldn’t end well, and she _knew_ Leo would lose his mind if he ever found out. CJ also knew that she would never be able to forgive herself if her feelings for Danny ever led her to take advantage of her position as Press Secretary. That was why in the days approaching Bartlet’s first State of the Union, CJ promised herself she would make one last effort to _get past it_ : to shut Danny out of her head once and for all. Indeed, the twin distractions of the President’s health crisis and Leo’s drug problem were doing a pretty good job of keeping her occupied – that is, until late Monday night, when she stumbled into a rather friendly conversation between her coworker and the object of her affection.

“That was very cute.”

“So I grow the rest of the beard back?”

“Yeah,” said Mandy Hampton, flashing Danny a flirtatious smile.

“Okay.”

CJ willed herself to keep a straight face as she announced her presence.

“Hello.” Her voice was like stone. Mandy looked up at her. 

“CJ, don’t you think Danny looked very cute with a full beard?”

God, she didn’t have time for this. She deflected. “I actually hadn’t thought about it.”

“Well take your time,” Danny interjected playfully, his eyes on CJ as she stood in the doorway.

“What do you need?” she asked him tersely.

“Actually, I came by to see my fish.” Okay, she _really_ didn’t have time for this. She made her way over to her desk.

“The fish is fine, and I need my office.” 

Danny raised an eyebrow. “I’m leaving?”

“Yes.”

“Okay.”

“Good night,” quipped Mandy as she watched Danny exit. He shot her a mischievous smile. 

“Good night.”

Mandy turned to CJ, who took in an exasperated breath. “He gave me a fish a few weeks ago.” She tossed Gail a glance. “That one there.”

“CJ, it wouldn’t kill you to be a little friendlier to him.”

“Doesn’t seem to kill you,” she shot back coldly.

Mandy’s face fell. “CJ–”

“What do you need?”

“Are you kidding me?”

“Yes,” CJ said dismissively. She’d regretted the dig at Mandy almost as soon as she’d said it.

“ _CJ?_ ”

“I was kidding.”

“You sounded serious.”

“I’m very dry.”

Mandy looked at her incredulously for another moment before continuing. “The story’s gonna break tomorrow…”

The unwelcome news about Peter Lillienfield’s exposé caused CJ to shove her feelings aside for the rest of the night. Her instinctive protectiveness of her boss took full charge as she discussed the implications of the story with Mandy and, later, workshopped a preemptive statement with Leo. But by the time she retired to her apartment, her mind had wandered back to the initial interchange she’d interrupted. She kept going back to the puppydog smile Danny’d given Mandy as he sat on her desk. _Her desk!_ She felt warmth rising in her cheeks. How come she’d never seen that smile before? 

The rational part of her brain told her that _of course_ Mandy had just been messing with her. Danny was obviously head-over-heels for CJ – pitifully so – and any flirting he might be doing with other people was just a ploy for her attention. But if that was so, wasn’t the fact that he’d gotten her attention just a little, well, classic?

CJ collapsed onto the bed, her body absolutely exhausted but buzzing with nervous energy. It wasn’t Danny’s dallying with Mandy that was irritating; it was more so the fact that it was _getting to her_ so goddamn much. There was absolutely no reason for CJ to be feeling as jealous as she was, and yet, as she tried to make herself comfortable under the covers, red-hot resentment coursed through her veins, keeping her painfully alert. 

Partially to self-indulge, and partially to calm herself down, CJ reviewed a mental list of the moments she’d had with Danny – more specifically, moments that were _hers_. She wracked her brain. They’d known each other since the campaign, but she was having trouble pinpointing the exact moment when things had begun to escalate. Was it around the time when Sam had started seeing the callgirl? It was hard to remember details; maybe a more concrete list would help. Officially giving up her feeble attempt at sleep, CJ took a notebook from her bedside table and began to write.

  * _State dinner with Indonesia_



Right – that was when he’d wanted to know what she was wearing. Nothing dramatic had happened that night, but she counted it as a moment because it had been the first time he’d been plain about his feelings for her. One particular exchange in her office stood out in her memory:

_“When you flirt with me, are you doing it to get a story?”_

_“No.”_

_“Why are you doing it?”_

_“I’m doing it to flirt with you.”_

She’d told him she hadn’t believed him, but a more honest answer would’ve been a colorful combination of expletives. She continued the list.

  * _The business dinner_



CJ realized she’d skipped over listing most of Danny’s initial advances, but _boy_ had that dinner been tense. His feeble argument against the hate crimes bill had folded within the first fifteen minutes, and the two had spent the rest of the time pretending they weren’t making eyes at each other over the menus.

_“Are you going to order something?”_

_“I’m still looking.”_

_“You should make a decision. The waitress is heading our way.”_

_Danny shook his head. “Sorry. I’m a bit distracted.”_

_“By what?”_

_His cheeks went scarlet. “I’m not gonna tell you.”_

_“Why?”_

_“You’ll get mad at me.”_

_“Why?”_

_“This is a business dinner.”_

_“Are you trying to insinuate something?”_

_“I’m trying to get you to stay friends with me. Here, let me tell you more about the history of government censorship…”_

As awkward as the night had been, though, CJ still felt a certain ownership of the discomfort they’d shared. After all, it had been because of her presence that Danny had been reduced to such a nervous wreck. She smiled in spite of herself. Mandy Hampton really did have nothing on her. The flames of jealousy died down a bit. 

But then again, what was Mandy playing at, making eyes at a reporter? Despite his bright demeanor and boyish charm, Danny was dangerous – both to their careers and to the administration. CJ couldn’t help but feel like there was a double standard going on here; how come she got written off as being too friendly with the press corps while Mandy was free to flirt openly with whomever she liked? And hadn’t she been dating Lloyd Russell, her _boss_ , before she’d come to work for the president? Talk about a conflict of interest.

CJ sighed. Maybe she was reading way too much into this; Mandy had probably just been trying to get her to loosen up. And plus, something felt off about antagonizing the only other female member of the senior staff. CJ shut her notebook, turned off the lights, and determinedly closed her eyes. She was going to wake up tomorrow, shepherd the press on India/Pakistan, help Leo McGarry through one of the hardest days of his life, and have absolutely nothing to do with Danny Concannon. She was playing with the big kids, and she could keep whatever _this_ was under control.

By the time the night of the speech rolled around, CJ had just about had enough with keeping things under control. Josh’s goading wasn’t doing much to help her case either. 

“ _You’re jealous ‘cause Danny was flirting with Mandy…”_

God, he was being an ass. She dismissed him. “I didn’t say that. When did I say that?”

He grinned. “I read between the lines.”

“There are no lines.”

Sam interrupted. “You know, CJ, it can be pretty confusing sometimes…” 

As Sam launched into an irritatingly sincere oration concerning his situation with Mallory, CJ privately decided that the one thing that could possibly wind her up more would be if someone started making out right in front of her. She was in luck, as it happened, and she cocked her head to the side as she watched Mallory lock her lips with Sam’s, scattering the papers she was carrying across the floor. It was truly an impulsive kiss, and CJ couldn’t help but be impressed that her boss’s daughter had such a flair for the dramatic.

After pulling away, Mallory left the room, redfaced and mortified, but CJ was replaying the motions of the kiss in her mind’s eye. She noted the flutter in her stomach that came when she substituted Mallory’s red shock of hair with Danny’s golden mane. Oh, god, it was happening again. Her breath grew labored and she struggled to keep herself together, but Mallory’s sexual frustration had been the straw that broke the camel’s back. CJ wasn’t the jealous type, but this was really getting ridiculous.

She was turning to face her assistant before she was even done formulating a plan. 

“Carol, is Danny Concannon in the press room?”

“Yeah.”

She smiled in spite of herself. “Would you have him come to my office, please?”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sure you all know what happens next...


End file.
